White Lies (A Twisted Fate 1)

Betrayal wedged its way into my mind.

Whispering to no one but myself, I said, “What did you do, Alex?”

Acid fought its way up my esophagus. I was going to be sick.

Calm down.

Maybe he was undercover? The hopeful question sounded absurd, even to me in my stressed out state.

I needed air.

I needed to be out of this confined space.

Not thinking, I scrambled to unlock the car door. Barely making it to the bushes, I heaved the contents of my stomach onto the ground. Dry heaves wracked my body, causing tears to spill down my face.

This wasn’t happening.

It all had to be a dream.

But… the pictures were real.

Alex was not the man I fell in love with.

Abruptly, I stood. Someone could still be watching me. Or worse yet, try to abduct me. My mind was out of control with scenarios. Carson. I needed to get to Carson. I’d be able to trust him with this, get his thoughts. Without a second thought, I dashed to the car and drove away, furiously wiping away the tears trailing down my cheeks. Focus, Willow. Focus. My heartbeat raced as I watched the rearview mirror to see if anyone followed me.

Two blocks. Right turn.

Was someone following me? My heart thudded in my ear.

Three blocks. Left turn.

My fingers slipped on the steering wheel as I hastily turned. I glanced again in the mirror. Nothing.

One block. Left turn.

My tires squealed as I made the turn too quickly. A red car appeared. Oh shit. My breathing sped up. Were they after me?

Four blocks. Right turn.

The red car went the opposite way, and I stopped, knowing I was on the verge of losing it. This was bad. I needed to regain control before I got into an accident. My hands shook as I made them into fists and released them.

I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay.

The mantra helped soothe me.

I checked in the rearview mirror again, and there was no one. My shoulders drooped as the adrenaline left me.

The streets remained vacant. No one was watching me.

Honk!

I screamed and saw I was blocking a dump truck from crossing an intersection. Not taking the time to apologize, I sped off again. My thoughts went every which way. Betrayal and hurt spread through me like a disease.

Alex was gone, and I would never know why.

Why? Why? Why?

The park outside of the city was ahead as I turned right again. Memories from the past tickled their way into my consciousness—something good to think about, which I needed. Almost past the entrance, I made a hard turn causing my tires to squeal again.

A few people stared my way as I parked the car. Their opinion was the last thing on my list to care about. I thought back to the day Alex and I came here after he met Dad.

We lay stretched out on a blanket underneath the big tree in the park with my head on Gabe’s chest. My hand was placed over his heart where his tattoo was. The birds sang a melodic harmony while a warm breeze rustled the trees. It was perfection, lying here with the love of my life.

Kids played all around, and the possibilities of my future with Gabe had my mind wandering with visions. A little girl no more than two giggled as she tried to kick a ball and kept missing.

I glanced over at Gabe, who watched the scene unfold. Pressure from his hold increased. Our eyes met, and I saw the same feelings in his eyes I felt.

For now… our life would have to wait.

He was returning to the military from leave in less than a month. I dreaded when that time came. Taking a deep breath, I smelled the fresh cut grass.

He sighed, breaking into my thoughts. “I hate that I have to leave you. If I’d known you existed, I would have never enlisted.”

The words brought a smile to my face. Gabe always expressed his emotions in the sweetest ways with how much he cared for me. I felt cherished and loved. A feeling of contentment fell over me, and I raised my head. “I’ll wait for you. Always. Just promise me one thing.”

“What’s that, sweetheart?”

“Come back to me.”

Fingers trailed down my cheek as our eyes locked, the familiar intensity growing between us. “I promise. I’ll always come back to you.”

Our lips touched, igniting the chemistry that always lingered beneath the surface. “Let’s go back to the hotel. I want to make love to you, Willow.”

“Please.”

A couple sat beneath our tree. Two nights before Alex left, he brought me to this place again and carved our initials in the trunk. We were so in love. While he was away, I came here often to sit and read beneath the tree.

Pain settled in my chest as the revelations from this afternoon refused to be ignored.

It was amazing how much the effects of deployment could change a person. I’d read about it multiple times since Alex was diagnosed with PTSD. At one point, I wondered if the diagnosis was true since the doctor had rubbed me the wrong way. I had gone into full research mode. After extensive research, I came to the conclusion that Alex had all the symptoms—edginess, nightmares, jumpiness, and the need to be isolated. Even though we were in different rooms, his nightmares woke me up frequently. Once, I tried to help, but Alex refused, slamming the door in my face.

But… lying was something I’d never imagined.

Truth was a fundamental building block of any relationship. The one thing I held onto through the rough spots was the honesty we had between each us, even if we weren’t in agreement.

The manila envelope on the passenger seat caught my eye again. It was like a train wreck. I wasn’t able to look away as I picked up the stack.

This time, I flipped through the remaining three pictures. They were from different nights, as Alex had on different shirts… shirts I’d never seen. In each one, the same woman appeared. The last one was of them kissing in front of the Club. I looked closer at the picture. The club was called Cocktails.

Cocktails.

Fuck.

In the phone conversation between Commander Taylor and Alex, Cocktails was mentioned. I bet this place was in Philadelphia.

“I made a mistake once at a club in Philadelphia.”

Those were the words Commander Taylor spoke in his office. Why was Alex involved with such a place?

I stared at the picture of them kissing. Alex held onto the woman’s ass. The way they regarded each other spoke of intimacy. More betrayal. The ultimate betrayal. My mind wanted to play this all off, but I felt the truth.

Ugh. What an asshole.

There was nothing pure left of our relationship.

A piece of paper on the seat caught my attention. Picking it up, I read:

My emotions were a ping pong ball, moving back and forth as the questions came to mind.

He cheated on me?

The bastard had cheated on me after everything I’d done.

I felt dirty inside.

Who was this man with the accent?

A glutton for punishment, I looked at the woman more carefully. Dark hair, bright eyes. We were exact opposites in our appearance. The short skirt and the way she held herself gave me the impression of a hooker. Maybe that was the cynicism in me talking. She was obviously in love with him, considering the adoring expression she wore. Alex gave nothing away as he looked at her.

Was that why he hadn’t wanted me to change my name?

Don’t come alone. You will be safe. I’ll make sure of it.

Carson was going to think I’d lost my damn mind wanting to go to a club over three hours away.

The night was upon us as we drove in Carson’s gunmetal-gray Maserati toward Philadelphia. I’d been silent most of the drive as smooth tunes filled the car and helped to keep my anxiety at bay. Honestly, I was holding on by a thread. Carson knew I needed the silence for now.

After filling him in on everything, Carson hesitated to go anywhere without first scoping it out. It was true. This

might be a trap. Maybe that was why the note told me not to come alone. But I had to find out.

The cops weren’t to be trusted now. The only person I could trust with this information was Carson.

For good measure, I suggested we tell Nonno and his parents where we were headed. We told them Carson was taking me out to this place, on the recommendation of a client, to get me out of the house. No one thought twice about it. In fact, they all agreed it was a great idea.